Virat Kohli says he will lead a supremely confident Indian side collectively obsessed with beating Australia and putting the finishing touches on what would be a famous series win at the SCG.
Leading the series 2-1 after victories in Adelaide and Melbourne, Kohli has instilled a ruthless mindset into a side. He said he has never seen a team so excited after the final wicket at the MCG was taken, a dismissal that ensured Indian retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Intensity: Virat Kohli say his Indian side is obsessed with winning the nation's first Test series in Australia.Credit:AP
There was an unmistakable mix of conviction and determination in Kohlis pre-match press conference as he explained the mindset within an exuberant squad a few days away from potentially creating their own slice of history.
"I can guarantee everyone is obsessed about winning in very difficult conditions," Kohli said. "It has to be an obsession. When youre obsessed about playing good quality cricket and achieving excellence then I dont think as a team you want to stop at two games.
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"You want to finish the series well and get together and enjoy it afterwards as a team. Im very sure and Ive seen in the change room the guys are very optimistic … and very, very focused."
The Perth defeat following Adelaides triumph would have brought the tourists back to earth but Kohli said a resounding win in the Boxing Day Test has "solidified the belief we have as a team".
"Eventually you start getting results and you start believing in yourself," he said. "You see guys growing in their confidence levels and that is a beautiful sight to see. I think these victories evolve you as a cricketer."
Four years ago at the New Years Test, Kohli assumed the Indian captaincy for the first time after MS Dhonis sudden retirement. The match ended in a draw but Kohli scored a brilliant 147 in the first innings to stamp his authority as skipper.
Since that fixture, Kohli has gone from strength to strength and plundered runs against attacks all over the world.
"It would be a big, big series win not just for me but the whole team purely because this is the place where we started our transition," Kohli said. "This is where MS [Dhoni] gave up captaincy and we had a totally young side starting at No.6 or seven in the world and we have come back here as the No.1 Test side in the world. We want to be able take that legacy forward."
Comparatively, the possibility of becoming the first Australian team to lose a Test series to India on home soil is not keeping captain Tim Paine up at night.
Yet to finalise their best XI, Paines said Australia were focused on individual roles rather than fretting over the ramifications of another poor performance.
Motivated: Australian captain Tim Paine.Credit:AP
"I haven't thought too much about losing the series, that's for sure," Paine said. "Some guys will use different things to motivate them. My motivation is making sure we're improving, [remaining] competitive at all times and put up a really good fight against India.
"We know if we do it for long enough, [as] we showed in Perth, we can win."
It has been 40 years since India won a Test at the SCG and if a T20 between the two sides in November is any guide, there will be plenty of support for the away team.
Even as both sides finalised preparations on Wednesday, swarms of Indian fans scurried their way to get an autograph or selfie with Kohli.
Adulation for the Indian cricket team is nothing new but by the same token, Kohli knows the pressure that comes with playing in front of a predominantly Australian crowd all crossing their fingers that he fails.
"Its not only the team youre playing against, its the whole nation because they get behind the team so well," Kohli said. "When you walk into bat you feel like 40,000 [people] want your wicket, not just the 11 guys on the field. For me its about being able to contribute."
Tom Decent is a journalist with Fairfax Media.
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